B-List Beauty

This 1964 Gretsch Corvette Model 6135 brings vintage bling to those on a budget.

INTRODUCED IN 1961 as what would appear to be a rather obvious rival to Gibson's Les Paul/SG Junior, the Gretsch Corvette never really graduated to pro-player status like the guitar maker's Duo Jet or 6120 models, but it makes a particularly interesting "B-list vintage" guitar. Gretsch first used the Corvette name on a guitar in its lower-priced hollowbody Electromatic series of 1954-'59. This was a non-cutaway archtop with a single DeArmond Model 200 (a.k.a. Dynasonic) pickup in the neck position and relatively modest cosmetics beyond the block fingerboard inlays. Shortly after, Gretsch headed back to the drawing board to concoct a student model that would be more appropriate for the times, and the new and entirely revamped Corvette fit the bill.

Although Gretsch had unveiled the Duo Jet ostensibly as its first solidbody guitar in 1953, it had a lot of chambering within the body and was semi-solid at best. As such, the Corvette of the '60s was the company's first solidbody electric guitar, and it embodied a mash-up that was pretty hip to the times, too.